Team fight
by Sweetheart91597
Summary: They always fight... But now, Donnie is sick of it! He decides to change some things... For the better or for the worse? I don't own TMNT
1. New leader?

**1**

It was a normal day in the lair.  
>Donnie was working on a retro-mutagen in his lab while Leo and Raph were arguing in the living room. "It's your fault if we get caught one of these days!", Leo yelled.<br>"Yea?", Raph replied "Aren't you the one who always wants me on his team?"  
>Donnie sighed. They had been fighting for hours now. And all that noise made if hard for him to concentrate on what he was doing.<p>

Then, Mikey came running in with a terrified expression on his face. When he saw Donnie he ran up to him and clung to him for dear life. Donnie carefully put down the chemicals he was working with and hugged Mikey back: "What's up Mikey?"  
>Mikey looked up to his big brother: "They're going to fight!" Don rolled his eyes. <em>I knew he wasn't a genius, but I would have thought he had noticed that by now.<br>_"They have been fighting all day, Mikey", Don said calmly "They do that all the time" But Mikey shook his head: "No, man! I mean real fighting! As in: with their weapons!"  
>Don looked his little brother in the eyes. Mikey was usually pretty good in predicting behavior.<br>"I promise I'll go and have a look right after I finish this, ok?", Donnie asked. Mikey nodded and let go. He put himself in Don's chair and waited for Don to finish his work.

Just as Donnie wanted to add one drop of a blue looking chemical in the mixture, there was a loud noise from metal against metal coming from the living room.  
>This made Donnie add five drops instead of one. He turned to Mikey and yelled: "RUN!"<br>The newly produced liquid was steaming and could explode any second. He ran behind Mikey, but none of them were fast enough.

A loud BANG sounded through the lair, making both Leo and Raph look up from their fight.  
>When they saw smoke coming from the lab, they dropped their weapons and ran to the door.<br>But before they could reach it, Mikey came out coughing. Raph immediately ran up to him and grabbed him by the arm: "What happened?!" But Mikey kept coughing.  
>Leo was waiting for Donnie to come out, but even after a full minute he hadn't shown up.<br>So he turned to Mikey, who finally could breathe again: "Where is Donnie?" Mikey looked around, but couldn't see Donnie. This made him panic: "I don't know… He was… And I was… And then he…"  
>"Okay", Leo interrupted him "you: sit down for a while and take deep breaths. Raph, come with me"<br>Raph didn't bother to argue and just followed Leo. He was still mad at him, but Donnie was more important.

As soon as they entered the lab, they saw the mess: there were pieces of paper lying everywhere, tables were turned over and the air was filled with a thick black smoke. But they didn't see Donnie anywhere. "Split up", Leo ordered. Raph nodded and went right, while Leo searched the left side of the lab.  
>After a couple of minutes, Leo saw Don's desk lying in a weird position. Like something was supporting it… Leo's eyes grew big when he saw Donnie lying underneath it. "RAPH!", Leo yelled "over here!"<br>By the time Raph arrived, Leo had kneeled down to Donnie and tried to make him look him in the eyes. But all he did was cough a little. Then, Leo looked up at Raph: "We've got to get him out of here"

Raph looked at the desk and nodded: "I'll push the desk up, you pull Don out"  
>Leo agreed and grabbed Don under his arms. <em>How is it that he's so thin?<em>, Leo wondered once again.  
>"On three", Leo said "one, two, three!" Both of them put all their strength to it.<p>

Once Donnie was free, Leo put him back on the ground to wait for Raph to put the desk back down. Don would kill them if something had happened to his precious desk!  
>When Raph joined them, they both slung an arm over their shoulders and helped Don out of the lab.<p>

When they returned, they saw master Splinter sitting next to Mikey rubbing his shell.  
>They put Donnie on the ground, next to Mikey. As soon as they let go of him, Mikey grabbed Donnie tight. And although it hurt him a bit, Donnie hugged back. Master Splinter smiled at the sight of his two youngest sons hugging. Then, he looked up at the oldest two: "What happened here?"<p>

"I'll tell you what happened!", Raph said "we were talking and suddenly mister leader over here took out his swords and attacked me!" "What?!", Leo yelled "That's not true!"  
>Splinter sighed and looked at the other two. Mikey was still holding on to Don's arm, but looked very frightened.<br>But Donnie… He looked like he was going to explode any minute.  
>And he was right.<p>

"SHUT UP!", Donnie screamed. This made both Raph and Leo jump back from surprise. Donnie never lost his temper! "I am sick of these constant fights of you two! If you can't work together, than there's only one solution. We change the teams. I take Raph and Leo with Mikey"

"What?!", the other three brothers said together. "I don't want Mikey!", Leo said.  
>But Don's look made him silence himself before even master Splinter had the chance.<br>But the last comment made everyone agree with his plan: "If you guys don't do this… I'll go on strike!"

Splinter had sat himself down next to Mikey by this time and was watching the scene with uttermost interest. _I never knew he had it in him to be a leader_, he thought.

**Author's note: Hi! I know, still working on another one. But because I always like it to have 2 stories running, I thought I'll put it up already :)  
>I got this idea while I was sitting on the bus coming home after school… don't know why I got that idea actually,…<strong>

**Anyway, read, review,… :) **


	2. Changes

One hour later, Donnie and Mikey were sitting on the couch while Splinter examined them. Luckily, the explosion hadn't done anything to serious except causing some mild bruises. When he was done, he turned around to his other sons who had been sitting on the floor watching him.  
>"I expect that all of you work this out together. I want you four to be a team again by the end of the week. And because clearly Leonardo is too busy with his own little problems", Splinter glared at Leo at that part "I hereby make Donatello the new leader, at least for this week. If you're a team again by the end of the week, Leonardo will be the leader again. If not, Donatello will stay in charge"<br>All of his sons looked at their father with huge eyes. _This is not what I wanted!, _Donnie thought.

After this, Splinter turned to Don: "I trust you, Donatello. Good luck" Then, he smiled and walked to his room.

The turtles sat there for a moment before Mikey spoke up: "Leo, why don't you want me on your team? Don't you like me?"  
>"Of course I like you, Mikey", Leo answered "You're a real fun guy! It's just that you can't keep serious on a mission and I can't babysit a kid while I'm also trying to save the city" The moment he had said it, he regretted it. Every word, down to the last one.<p>

Raph and Don looked at each other and then back at Leo. Finally, everyone looked at Mikey. He had never looked so sad! He looked like he could start crying any second. But instead, he turned to Don: "Can I go to my room, please?" Don's mouth fell open. Mikey never asked permission for anything! And definitely not for something so common as going to your room.  
>Don nodded and Mikey slowly stood up and walked calmly to his room.<p>

When they heard the door close silently, Leo face-palmed: "I can't believe I just said that! It's nothing like me to blab out stuff like that!" "No, that's more something for me", Raph agreed.  
>Don just sat there, thinking about everything that had just happened.<br>Then, he started talking: "Okay, you guys heard Splinter. He wants us to be a team again and the only way we can do that is if we start working with each other instead of against each other. Understood?"  
>Leo and Raph could do nothing but nod. Neither of them knew that their little brother could be so full of leadership. But then, he had never been given the chance to lead.<p>

"And I hate to admit it", Donnie continued "but the main problem here is between the two of you. You have to either talk things out or fight things out. And then I mean literally, with all the strength that you have. But without weapons. It's your choice. Which do you prefer? Talking or fighting?"  
>Raph and Leo looked at each other and answered simultaneously: "Fighting"<br>"Ok then", Donnie said "follow me" He stood up and walked to the dojo.

By the time Raph and Leo had entered, Don was standing in the middle of the room.  
>"Ok, I'm ready", he said "attack me"<br>"What?!", Raph asked "you want us to attack you?! I thought you wanted us to fight each other"  
>Don grinned: "No, I want the two of you to release all of that anger. But I also want the two of you to work together. Normally, it would have been Mikey as well. But I think it's for the best if we leave him alone for now"<p>

"Donnie, we've done this before", Leo said "the two of us against you and Mikey. And we totally beat you guys!"  
>"So why are you so afraid now?", Don asked mischievously. <em>They are so going to kill me! But it will be worth it in the end… I hope!<em>

Raph looked ready to explode and even Leo seemed angry.  
>Then, Raph lunged at Don but missed. Now also Leo was attacking.<br>They fought for over half an hour, but none of them could get a hit in. And all Don did was jumping away and dodging. And talking…

"Why haven't you hit me yet, Raph?", Donnie asked "Too slow? Or too scared?"  
>This made Raph even angrier. He ran at Don on full speed. But just before he would hit Don, Donnie jumped to the left causing Raph to run straight into the wall.<br>"Too slow after all", Donnie said with a grin. _I can't believe this is actually working!_

Leo wanted to hit him in the face, but was too tired to put any strength behind. His younger brother easily grabbed his hand and tackled Leo to the floor.  
>Donnie looked at his two older brothers lying on the floor. He was sort of proud that he had managed to defeat them by himself.<p>

"Are you guys willing to talk now?", Don asked. Both Raph and Leo nodded.  
>When everyone was back on their feet, Don spoke again: "Mikey, you can show yourself now. They're too tired to attack you anyway!" Everyone turned to the entrance of the dojo and sure enough, Mikey appeared from behind the door.<p>

Leo's eyes grew big. Not only had Mikey been able to keep quiet and really succeed in hiding from Leo, but even worse: Donnie had noticed before him!

"And now, we are going to have a serious talk about being a team and…", Donnie's speech was interrupted by the sound of April's ringtone. He picked up his phone and walked away a little: "Hi… yes… okay, calm down, April!... Yeah, we'll be right there… Hang on"  
>Then, he turned back to his brothers: "Talking will have to wait. April's in trouble!"<p>

And the four of them took off, none of them noticing that their father had been watching them the entire time.  
><em>I never had thought that Donatello was so strong and that Mikey could be so good in hiding…<br>Change is coming… For the better… or for the worse…_

**Author's note: Hi! :) no cliffhanger this time! :D well, only sort of ;)**

**I know, kind of sad. I'll make it up to you guys, promise! :D  
>Review or send me a PM! :) <strong>


	3. Decisions

Barely ten minutes later, the four brothers were running over the rooftops.  
>While they were on their way to April's house, Donnie explained what April had told him over the phone: "She said that some purple dragons had tried to rob a middle aged woman. April came to help her and the purple dragons ran away. The woman is fine, just a little shocked. When April chased those thugs, she saw that they met up with Dogpound and Fishface a couple of blocks away. So now she fears that The Shredder is up to something new and she wants us to take a look. But then I heard Dogpound yelling and suddenly the line went dead"<br>Now everyone was quiet. Then, Leo spoke up: "So you think they took April?" Donnie sighed: "I don't know, but I think so. But for once, I hope that I'm wrong"

They jumped down in the alley next to April's house. The moment they looked around they heard a strange sound coming from the darkness. Out of reflexes, they took their weapons out and stood in battling stance.  
>Then, a foot robot stepped out of the shadows… with a knife pressed to April's throat. She looked terrified.<br>The guys immediately lowered their weapons. They couldn't risk April getting hurt.  
>"Drop your weapons", the robot said. All of them did as the robot said, except for Donnie. He still held his staff in his right hand, and leaned on it: "No"<br>"Drop your weapon", the robot repeated. "Nope", Donnie said very calmly.  
>"Dude!", Raph yelled "What's wrong with you?! Do you want to get her killed?!"<br>"No", Donnie answered. Now Leo sighed: "Can you anything besides 'no'?"  
>"No", Donnie repeated, but now with a small grin.<p>

April looked at him like he had gone completely crazy. _I thought he cared for me_, she thought.  
>"Then the girl who is the girl that I hold here will die", the robot said after a while.<br>Donnie shrugged: "Go ahead, I don't even know her"  
>The robot turned his head: "But this is the girl known as April O'neill. She is the girl who you think of as 'friend'"<br>Donnie looked confused: "That's not April O'neill! You must have a fault in your software"  
>The robot slightly released his grip on April: "Checking software. Looking for mistakes"<br>"Here, I'll fix it", Donnie yelled as he threw a throwing star straight between the robot's eyes.  
>This made April fall down, but Don caught her before she could hit the ground.<br>He helped her stand up again. "Are you okay?", he asked. She took a moment to get over what just had happened and then looked up at Donnie and smiled: "I'm fine. Thanks to you. But I'm not so sure about your brothers"  
>When Don looked at his brothers, he burst out in laughter. Al three of them stood there with huge eyes and their mouths wide open.<p>

Finally, Raph spoke up: "…Wow… Just… wow! That… was completely insane, crazy and way too risky!... I loved it!" He ran up to Don and threw his arm around his shoulder.  
>Then, Mikey walked up to Don and patted his shoulder. <em>Strange<em>, Don thought _Why isn't he any more enthusiastic?  
><em>Leo just stood there, way too proud to admit that Don had handled that situation way better than he would have.

Then, Donnie spoke up again: "Where did you see Dogpound and Fishface?"  
>"Three blocks away", April answered "Dogpound went into the warehouse, but Fishface walked the other way. I didn't see where he went. I only know that he took the main road"<br>"Then he's probably on his way to the abandoned fortune cookie factory", Raph said "They've been there before!"

Donnie nodded: "Okay, we'll split up"  
>"Okay, I'll take Raph…", Leo started. But Donnie interrupted him: "No, you don't. You go with Mikey. And don't even start to argue with me! I'm the leader and if you ever want to be leader again, we have to be a team again!"<br>Leo looked angrily at the ground, but nodded. When Donnie looked at Mikey, his heart broke a little. He saw his little brother with tears in his eyes trying to convince Don without words that he didn't want to go with Leo. But no matter how much Don hated to do it, he had to go on with his plan if he wanted to succeed.

"We take Fishface", Don continued "and you take Dogpound. Keep your T-phones close and meet here again in three hours. If someone's isn't here again by then, the other ones will go and help them. Understood?"  
>Everyone nodded, surprised by Don's hidden capacities to lead.<br>He sent April home and then took off with Raph.

Over his shoulder, he saw Leo and Mikey leaving to.  
><em>I really hope I made the right decision to make this new teams….<em>, Don thought.

**Author's note: Hi! Sorry for the late update! This story is harder to write then the others.  
>Before you ask, I'll answer some of your possible questions:<strong>

**Why is Mikey so sad/so scared to go with Leo? This will be answered in the next chapter**

**Why is the robot talking so weird? I'm trying to mimic the talking of kraang, but I'm terrible at it **

**Any more questions can be asked by reviews or PM's :) **

**Thanks for reading! :D**


	4. The bossy and the baby

With Leo and Mikey

When Leo and Mikey had reached the warehouse, they tried to think of a plan.  
>"We should find out what they're going to do", Leo said "I propose we sneak in, hide and when we have found out what they're planning on doing we attack and stop them from whatever it was that they're going to do. Ok?" Mikey nodded. <em>Why is he so stubborn in not talking to me?!<em>, Leo thought.  
>"Let's go to the roof", Leo continued "that way we can have a better view" Mikey nodded again and started to climb the building, Leo short behind.<p>

When they had reached the top, they took a small moment to catch their breath and then silently walked over to the skylight. In the warehouse, they could see dogpound and some purple dragons talking. "Can you hear what they're saying?", Leo asked. But once again, the only response he got was a small movement with the head that indicated that he couldn't hear.  
>Leo sighed: "Still not talking to me?" Now Mikey looked the other way.<br>Now Leo was really getting angry: "Why don't you talk to me?! Stop acting like a baby!"  
>At hearing this Mikey looked Leo straight in his eyes with an extremely angry look. One that Leo didn't even think his fun little brother was capable of.<br>This startled Leo a little, but he quickly composed himself again.

"Never mind", Leo said "we have to find out what they're saying" He leaned in a little closer to the window, but Mikey grabbed his arm and tried to pull him back.  
>But Leo was still a little angry with Mikey and pulled his arm back. When he leaned in a little closer and leaned against the window, he suddenly knew why Mikey had grabbed his arm. Clearly Mikey had seen that the window wasn't stable and he had wanted to stop Leo from leaning against it.<p>

And now, Leo was falling through the window with no hope of surviving. The only thing in there was concrete and the enemy. So even if he somehow managed to survive this fall, he would still be killed by Dogpound and the Purple dragons.  
>Suddenly, he heard the sound of some sort of metal chain. And the next moment, he felt a strong arm around him swinging him to the side of the warehouse. By doing this, nobody had seen him and, more importantly, he had survived!<br>Two feet above the ground he got dropped, which resulted in him spraining his ankle. He took a deep breath, but didn't make a sound.

A couple seconds later, there was something falling down next to him. When he looked to see what it was, he was more than a little surprised to see Mikey kneeling next to him with a determined but yet worried expression on his face. _Mikey saved me?!, _Leo thought _Wow! _

Mikey motioned him to stay silent. He appeared extremely calm, but inside he was freaking out. _I can't handle this!_, Mikey thought _I can't get him out of here without Dogpound seeing us! And I can't handle him by myself_!  
>Leo tried to stand up and put some weight on his leg, but he fell down immediately.<br>The sound of his shell hitting the wall alerted Dogpound.

He turned around and came running to the place where the turtles were hiding.  
>"Well, well", Dogpound said "The bossy turtle and the baby turtle. Are you babysitting?" After that, all of the purple dragons burst out in laughter.<p>

Mikey stood in front of Leo and got his nunchuks.  
>He tried keeping the enemies of, but there were ten of them. And one of them was a giant mutated dog . It took them barely five minutes to get captured.<br>Dogpound threw them in a dark room with only a small lightbulb attached to the ceiling.  
>"Have fun!", he yelled "Your friends will be here soon!"<p>

Leo sighed and sat with his back against the wall. Mikey kept standing in the middle of the room, but finally decided to join Leo. They sat there for a while in silence.  
>Then, Mikey spoke up: "I'm sorry I couldn't stop them"<br>Leo turned around to face his little brother: "You didn't stand a chance anyway. It's ok"  
>But Mikey shook his head: "No, it's not okay. I've been training just as long as the rest of you and I'm not even half as good as you. You said it yourself. I'm just childish and I can't keep serious. That's why you didn't want to work with me!" He had tears in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.<p>

Leo was shocked by what he just had heard: "Is that why you didn't want to talk to me? Because you thought I didn't want to work with you? Because I didn't like you?"  
>Mikey's silence was all the answer Leo needed.<br>He put his arm around Mikey's shoulder and continued: "Mike, I didn't mean any of those things I said back at the lair! You're not a baby! You're a great ninja! You managed to save my life just moments ago! I was just angry that Splinter had made Don the new leader. I shouldn't have let my anger out on you! I'm the one who should be sorry!"  
>Mikey looked at him, still with tears in his eyes. But he still didn't say a word.<br>"I love you Mikey!", Leo said. That did it. Mikey broke down like he hadn't done in years.

Leo pulled him close so his head was on Leo's plastron. Mikey put his arms around Leo to now.  
>After about ten minutes Mikey was done crying and looked up at his big brother, now with a smile on his face.<br>"Hey, there's that lovely smile of yours!", Leo said. This made Mikey smile even more.  
>After another moment of silence Mikey spoke up again: "We really should call Raph and Donnie"<br>"No way!", Leo reacted "They will never let us live this down!"

Now it was Mikey's turn to have a stern look: "I don't care if you call or I call. But one of us is going to call them! Now!"  
>Leo smiled at Mikey's hidden ability to give orders. <em>Maybe I did teach him something<em>, he thought.  
>The, he took out his T-phone and called Raph. After two times, Raph answered his phone.<br>"Hi Raph!", Leo said "We might be having a little problem over here…"

**Author's note: Hi! Hope you liked it! I know, fluff once again…  
>Anyway, Next chapter we will have a look at what Donnie and Raph were doing this entire time! :D<br>Thanks for reading :) **


	5. The brainiac and the hothead

Don looked behind him and saw Mikey and Leo leaving. _I really hope I made the right decision to make this new teams…._, he thought. Raph noticed this: "They'll be fine Don. Trust me!"  
>Don looked at his slightly older brother and sighed: "I hope you're right, Raph. I really do…"<br>"Let's get this over with!", Raph continued "and then just go back to the lair to fix all of this mess!"  
>Don nodded and grinned: "sounds good to me!"<p>

They managed to enter the building without anybody noticing them.  
>It was only when they were right behind Fishface that he turned around: "How did you find us?!" Behind Fishface were about a dozen of Foot soldiers.<br>"Easy! We simply followed the rotten fish smell!", Raph answered. Don grinned, but tried his best to control himself. _I'm the new leader… I should be able to control myself, _he thought.

"Attack!", Fishface yelled "soldiers, take the brainiac! I'll handle the hothead myself!"  
>Raph took out his sais and lured Fishface away from Don. <em>If he's gonna handle the Foot by himself, he'll need some space<em>, he thought.

From the corner of his eye, Don noticed this and smiled. Then, he focussed his attention on the Foot.  
>It didn't take him very long before he had defeated all of them. "Not bad for a turtle with a wooden stick!", Don said.<br>He turned around and looked for Raph. He wasn't doing so good. Fishface had managed to take away his sais and had cornered him by now. This scene remembered Don of the time when Raph had gotten bit by Fishface and he had made the antidote. Raph had been sick for the rest of the week!  
>So Don walked up behind Fishface and tried to stay out of sight. Even Raph didn't see him, he was too busy trying to keep Fishface away.<br>"Give it up, turtle!", Fishface said "Nobody is going to help you out this time!"  
>"Oh no?", Don asked "Then what am I going to do according to you?"<p>

Fishface turned around, but was met immediately by a wooden stick smashed in his face. He fell down and didn't move aside from the rising and falling of his chest. Raph fell down with his shell against the wall. He sat there gasping for air for a moment before he looked up. Right above him was the worried but determined face of Donnie. He reached out his hand for Raph and pulled him back to his feet. Then, he walked over to Raph's sais and picked them up.

When he turned around, Raph was standing in front of him smiling: "Thanks bro"  
>Don smiled back: "That's what brothers are for" He handed him his sais back and put his arm around Raph's shoulders.<p>

"I wonder how the others are doing", Raph said "Probably not as good as us!"  
>But Donnie shook his head: "Nah, I guess they're doing way better than us at this moment! I mean, Leo's with Mikey. Leo can handle anybody by himself"<br>Raph nodded: "Good point"

Then, Raph's phone rang. When he took it out of his belt, he was more than a little surprised to see Leo's name on the screen.  
>When he picked up, his heart almost stopped beating because of what he heard: "Hi Raph! We might be having a little problem over here…"<br>Donnie had heard this too, his eyes grew big. He almost started panicking, but Raph was standing next to him. And he refused to break down in a panic attack while standing next to Raph. "Tell them we'll be there in ten minutes max", Don said.  
>Raph nodded and did as Donnie had asked. <em>Man, maybe he really IS the better leader!<em>, Raph thought.

**Author's note: Hi! To start off, a couple of apologies.  
>1. Sorry for such a late update. But like I explained in the summary, I had some health problems. I hope you forgive me<br>2. Sorry for a rather short chapter. Reason: see point 1 I'll make it up to you with a longer chapter 6. Ok? :) **

**Hope you liked it! :D  
>And last, but certainly not least: thank you for still reading my stories after a break from almost two weeks! :D I can't explain how grateful I am for that! :)<br>**


	6. Breaking 'in'

"Tell them we'll be there in ten minutes max", Don said.  
>Raph nodded and did as Donnie had asked. <em>Man, maybe he really IS the better leader!<em>, Raph thought. And they ran to the warehouse where Donnie had sent the other part of their team.

When they arrived there, they immediately saw why Leo and Mikey had gotten into trouble. Dogpound and some Purple Dragons stood at the door, talking and laughing loudly.  
>Don and Raph hid themselves in the shadows next to the building. Then, they heard Dogpound say something: "When those other turtles get here, we throw them in the cell together with the boss and the baby and then deliver the full package to the Shredder. No doubt the hothead will do anything to save his little friends! And the smart one isn't strong enough to keep him from doing that"<br>When Raph heard Dogpound talk about Leo and Mikey, he got so angry that Don needed to hold him back. Sure, Mikey was the youngest and a little childish. But not a baby! And Leo WAS the leader, so it was his 'job' to be bossy.

When Raph had calmed down again, Don motioned to the back of the building. Raph nodded. _See, that's sign language I DO understand_, he thought. Once they had reached the back side of the warehouse, Raph noticed a backdoor. Don smiled and nodded to show he agreed.  
>Raph's heart made a little jump when the door just opened with one small movement.<br>"It's not even locked!", he whispered. Donnie grinned: "They probably didn't think we would be this smart" Raph smiled and entered the dark warehouse.

Once they had both entered, Raph silently closed the door behind him and looked around him. They were in the back of the building. The only light source was the skylight, which was partly open. He nudged Don and pointed to the skylight. Don looked up. _I guess that was Leo's plan to enter_, he thought _But where are they now? _

Then, Donnie noticed some Purple dragons standing on the side of the warehouse next to some crates.  
>Then, he got an idea. He turned to Raph: "Do you trust me enough to let me handle this situation on my own?" Raph didn't even have to think about that question: "Of course I do! But what are you going to do?" "Something incredibly risky, stupid and dangerous", Don answered "You stay here and only interfere if I give you a sign".<br>After his response, he stepped out of the shadows and ran up to the Purple Dragons with his Bo in his hand. The Dragons noticed this pretty quickly, and pulled out their weapons. It barely took them 2 minutes to conquer Don. They pulled him along to a door on the side of the warehouse and threw him inside.  
>It took all of Raph's willpower and discipline to stay put during all of this . <em>I hope you know what you're doing, Don!<em>, he thought.

Inside the room, it was dark except for the small light bulb on the ceiling.  
>Even before Don had gotten to his feet, he heard someone jumping up and the familiar sound of nunchucks being pulled out. He couldn't help but smile. Mikey! He got to his knees and saw Mikey standing in front of him with both his nunchucks in his hands. He looked ready to attack him at any time. <em>Why doesn't he recognize me?<em>, Don wondered. Then, it hit him. He was probably too far from the light bulb.  
>The anger in Mikey's eyes was scary, even for Donnie. If he didn't do something fast, he would attack him like he was the enemy. And he knew that Mikey was a pretty good fighter if he wanted to protect somebody he cared for.<p>

"Mikey!", Don said "It's me! Donnie!" Mikey lowered his nunchucks and stepped back a little. Donnie got to his feet properly and walked into the light so Mikey could see him better. Then, realization hit Mikey. His eyes grew big and he dropped his nunchuks. He ran up to Don and pulled him into a big hug like he hadn't seen him in years, when in reality it only had been a couple of hours. Donnie hugged back and whispered: "I told you I would get you guys out of here, right?"  
>Mikey looked up with a big smile on his face. Then, he looked behind him at the wall. When Don followed his gaze, he noticed Leo sitting on the ground with one leg pulled up to his chest. Leo also had a relieved expression on his face, but there was something else in there to.<p>

_Why doesn't he walk up to me?_, Don wondered. So, he walked up to him and kneeled next to him. As soon as he did this, Leo put his hand on Don's shoulder and smiled at him: "Thanks for coming, Don" Don smiled back: "That's what family's all about!"  
>Then, Donnie noticed Leo's ankle. "Leo?", Don asked "Why is your ankle swollen and the same color as your mask?"<br>Despite everything, Mikey laughed: "Good one, Don!" Don grinned, but then returned his attention to his oldest brother.  
>"Long story short: I did something stupid, Mikey saved my life, I sprained my ankle and now we're stuck", Leo answered.<br>"Can you walk?, Don asked now completely in doctor-mode. Leo shook his head: "I tried to, but it only resulted in us getting caught"

Don sighed: "Ok, you kind of just ruined my plan. But it still will work out… I hope."  
>He motioned for Mikey to stand on Leo's other side and together they pulled Leo up. Once Leo stood, Don pulled his arm over his shoulder so he could lean on him. Mikey did the same on the other side.<br>"And now", Don said "We are going to get out of here!"  
>"How?", Mikey asked. Donnie didn't answer, he just grinned…<p>

**Author's note: Cliffhanger! :D I just love them! I think I've got an addiction… Is there a special clinic for a cliffhanger-addiction? ;)  
>Anyway, you know what to do! :) <strong>

**Sorry for another late update… :( But I hope you like it anyway! :D **


	7. Breaking 'out'

"And now", Don said "We are going to get out of here!"  
>"How?", Mikey asked. Donnie didn't answer, he just grinned…<br>Leo looked at Mikey and back at Don: "Ok, now you're really freaking me out!"  
>Donnie burst out in laughter. "Dude! Not helping!", Mikey added "You sound like a mad scientist right now!"<br>"More like a mad psychologist actually!", Donnie answered.  
>Leo and Mikey both looked extremely confused after hearing this.<br>"Let me show you guys", Donnie said. He took his T-phone out of his belt with his free hand and searched for a number. When he had found what he was looking for he turned to his brothers: "Watch and learn!" He called the number and put the phone on speaker.

After only 2 seconds, a familiar voice sounded through the speaker: "Don?! Dude, please tell me you got it under control! Is everybody alright?" Leo sighed. _Why did his 'brilliant plan' had to be calling for Raph's help? He'll never let me live this down!_, he thought.  
>Donnie winked and motioned for the others to keep quiet. Then, he replied: "Calm down, Raph. I've got it under control… sort of…" "<br>"Dude, if this is a joke, I'll kill you!", but you could hear the panic in Raph's voice. Raph may seem indifferent, but when it came to the people (turtles, rat,…) he cared for, he could get really sentimental. And Donnie knew.  
>"I wish it was a joke, Raph", Donnie answered "But I'm being serious here. Leo's hurt and Mikey's had a complete breakdown…" That was all he needed to say.<p>

Raph hung up and so did Donnie. The next moment, they heard the sound of Raph yelling and fighting. Donnie grinned: "Man, I love it when my plans work out!"  
>Leo rolled his eyes and looked at the floor.<br>About 30 seconds later, they heard the sound of a key in the lock and the door slowly opened.  
>A very worried Raph walked in. When he saw everyone was in a relatively good shape, he looked at Donnie with an angry look: "You… you… you made me worry for nothing!".<br>"Not really", Donnie replied "Mikey did have a breakdown and Leo is hurt. You didn't ask how badly it was. You just followed your instinct to protect those you love"

When Mikey heard this, he let go of Leo and ran up to Raph. Once he had reached him, he pulled him into a giant hug: "I knew you loved us! I knew it!" Raph rolled his eyes, but still had a small smile on his face. Finally, he hugged back: "Of course I do, you knucklehead! And don't you ever dare to forget it!"

Leo and Donnie stood there smiling for a moment. Then, Leo looked behind Raph. All of the purple dragons were laying unconscious. He was once again impressed by his younger brother's strength.  
>"I hate to break up this brother-moment", Donnie said "But we really have to go before Dogpound returns"<br>Raph and Mikey nodded. Mikey went back to Leo and helped him walk while Raph walked in front of them to defend them in necessary.  
>Once they were outside, they helped Leo up to a roof. When they finally had reached the roof safely, they sat down and looked at each other. Nobody said a thing.<p>

Then, Raph spoke up: "What happened to you, Leo?" Leo looked to the ground, so Donnie decided to help him out: "Just a stupid accident. Let's bring it down to this: Leo fell, Mikey defended him and saved his life"  
>Mikey smiled shyly and blushed: "Well, I wouldn't say that…"<br>"I would, Mikey!", Donnie said as he walked up to his only younger brother "You did absolutely wonderful!" Mikey almost started crying again, this time from sentiment. Don pulled Mikey to his feet and put his arm around his shoulder: "You're the hero of the day!"

"Let's go home and continue this discussion over there", Raph suggested "I'll help Leo."  
>Everybody agreed, so Raph kneeled in front of Leo. "Oh no!", Leo said once he understood what Raph was asking of him "I am NOT sitting on your back! No way!"<br>"Come on, man! Stop being so stubborn!", Mikey said. "Yeah, Come on! Just do it already!", Raph added.  
>But Leo still refused. Donnie sighed, then let go of Mikey and loomed over Leo: "I give you two choices. Choice number one: You sit on Raph's back, simply because he's the only one who can carry you while jumping and running. Choice number two: you walk yourself."<p>

Leo looked Donnie in the eyes: "You wouldn't dare..."  
>"Try me", Donnie answered. There was a fire in his eyes that had never been there before.<br>Leo finally agreed and climbed on Raph's back.  
>As they ran back, Mikey thought about what Donnie had said to Leo. <em>He handled that perfectly! <em>_Man, maybe he IS the better leader_, he thought

In the meantime, Don's thoughts weren't with the situation at hand. He was already thinking about the future. _How am I supposed to make us a team again?_

**Author's note: So incredibly sorry for the late update! First health problems, then a lot of school work,… It all just came together. But I promise I'll update sooner this time! **


	8. Thoughts about team

When they finally arrived at the lair, they heard their father cleaning the kitchen.  
>"Not good!", Mikey said "If he's cleaning, it means that he's stressed. And when he's stressed… where in big trouble…" Donnie nodded. Then, he turned to Raph who was still carrying Leo: "Put Leo on the couch and stay with him. Otherwise, he might try to run away" Raph grinned and nodded.<p>

"And what do you want me to do?", Mikey asked while he looked up at his temporary leader.  
>Don smiled: "You have got the most important and most dangerous job of all! You are coming with me to the kitchen to tell Splinter about what happened" Mikey's eyes grew big: "But I never have to report the events of the night! No fair!"<br>Donnie grinned and put his hand on Mikey's shoulder: "I know. That's exactly why I'm making you do this now. I'm giving you a part of the responsibility. And I wouldn't do that if I didn't think you could handle it"  
>Mikey smiled and blushed a little: "Thanks bro…" Don winked and then walked over to the kitchen with Mikey right behind him.<p>

When they arrived there, they saw their father leaning over the table. It didn't look like he had even heard them walking in, he was completely lost in his own thoughts.  
>"Sensei?", Donnie asked. Splinter looked up and sighed when he saw his two youngest sons standing in the doorway.<br>"My sons", he said "How many times have I told you to leave at least a note when you take off?! I had no idea where you went!"  
>"Euhm, not...", Mikey replied. "I shouldn't have to!", Splinter yelled back.<br>"I know we should have done that", Mikey answered before Donnie could do anything "but it was an emergency considering April. And you always taught us that friends are extremely important in life! We just didn't think about it and acted on instinct." Donnie looked at his little brother with a big smile on his face. _We really should give him more responsibility every now and then!_, he thought.

Also Splinter smiled: "Okay then. I will leave it... for this time. But next time, I expect a bigger explanation... and a note!"  
>Then, he looked behind Mikey: "Where are Leonardo and Raphael?"<br>"And that's why we're here…", Donnie started.  
>Working together, Mikey and Donnie told their father the entire story. Starting with the small argument between Leo and Mikey, going to Mikey saving Leo and Leo getting hurt and ending with Donnie saving everybody and lecturing Leo.<br>When they finally where done, Splinter was silent for a while. Then, he smiled at Donnie: "Well done, Donatello. You really took your new leader role seriously! And now, let's have a look at Leonardo"

Together, they walked over to the couch. Leo was sitting on the couch looking at the floor with an angry look on his face, while Raph was slightly dozing off next to Leo. When they heard the others walking up to them, they looked up and sat up straight. Splinter didn't say a thing, but just put himself in front of Leonardo and started taking care of his sprained ankle.

Raph stood up and walked over to Donnie and Mikey: "What's up with Leo? He didn't say a word since we left that rooftop!"  
>Donnie sighed: "Just leave him mocking for a while. If his attitude hasn't changed in three days, I will have to arrange things a little differently…"<br>Raph grinned: "I like the way you think… leader"  
>Donnie looked Raph straight in the eyes with the full expectation of finding irony and irritation. But what he saw instead was something he had barely ever seen there.<p>

He saw… respect. TRUE respect, like he really meant it.  
>And admiration. Admiration for Donnie, who he really saw as his leader.<br>When Donnie looked at Mikey, he saw the exact same things.

But then, he looked over to his father and oldest brother.  
>His father's face was only partly visible, but the part he could see was very clear. He had a little smile on his face and a sparkle in his eyes. The only thing he could learn from that was something every child wants from their parents.<br>He saw pride. His father was PROUD of him! And Donnie couldn't help but smile as well when he thought about that.

When he looked at Leo, his smile disappeared immediately. They looked each other in the eyes for barely one single second.  
>Then Leo turned his attention back to the floor. Although he had tried to hide it, Donnie had seen it.<br>Sadness, shame, …  
>Leo wasn't proud of his younger brother, like Donnie would have expected. Leo felt terrible.<br>Sad that he never received the respect from his younger brothers Donnie received at that very moment.  
>Ashamed that he had never been the sort of leader Donnie was now.<p>

Leo would never admit it out loud, but he could only think about one thing: _Man, maybe he IS the better leader…_

_**Author's note: And that brings us to the end of chapter 8! I know, not my best work… But still, boring but necessary chapter. Next one will be better: promise! :)  
>You know what to do! <strong>_

_**And in case you don't, I'll just repeat it: Keep reading, review/send me a PM/…  
>Your support means a lot to me! :D So thanks again to everyone who has been readingfollowing me! :D **_


	9. Fixing things

Three days later in the dojo

Mikey and Raph were sitting cross-legged on the floor while Donnie was pacing up and down.  
>"How long since he asked Leo to come in here?", Mikey asked Raph. Raph looked at the clock above the door: "One hour and fourteen minutes. I say he will explode in three, two, one…"<br>"THAT'S IT!", Donnie yelled. His face was filled with pure rage as he ran out of the dojo.  
>Raph grinned: "Told ya!" One minute later, he was back pulling a still mocking Leo behind him. He practically threw him down on the floor beside Raph and then stood in front of his brothers.<p>

"What's wrong with you?!", Leo yelled at Donnie. "What's wrong with me?", Donnie asked "You want to know what's wrong with me? Are you really interested in what I think? What any of us think?" Leo glared at him: "What do you mean by that? Of course I care about you guys!"

"Really, Leo? Because you haven't showed it a lot lately! All you have done the past few days is being locked up in your room, except when master Splinter calls you out! And while you were being stubborn, the rest of us have been working. Remember why I needed to be leader for a week? Because we didn't function as a team anymore! WE have been trying to work things out! While YOU were moping! If we can't function properly in two days, you'll never be a leader again!"

All this time, Raph and Mikey were looking at Donnie's 'explosion' with big eyes and open mouths. He rarely ever got mad. You had to do something incredibly bad to get him THIS angry. But all Leo did was blink.  
>Don took a deep breath to calm himself down and then sat in front of his brothers: "Okay, my idea is that we talk things out. Right here and right now. Everyone will work together to try and solve our problems. Okay?" Mikey and Raph agreed, but Leo looked at the wall instead.<p>

An hour later, Donnie had reached his boiling point. Mikey was goofing around, Raph was doing nothing but criticizing everything and everyone but himself. And Leo still didn't do anything at all.  
><em>Stay calm, <em>Donnie thought _you're above this! You can do it.._  
>"Let's try this one more time guys", Don tried again "And this time… in proper words and coherent sentences. Okay?"<br>"Why would we try anyway?", Raph asked "You can't heal a break in the team if somebody is not willing to work." Raph glared at Leo.  
>"Hey!", Mikey said "Leave Leo alone! It's not his fault he's not as good a leader as he wants to be!"<br>Now both Leo and Raph glared at Mikey.

Raph stood up and walked over to Mikey: "That was not what I meant!"  
>Now Mikey stood up as well, so he was barely a nose length away from Raph's face: "Well, it sure sounded like you did!"<br>"Guys…", Don said as he rubbed his temples "Please, focus…"  
>Now Leo stood up as well, but slower due to his still hurting ankle: "Guys! Stop criticizing me! I tried my best!"<br>"Guys!", Donnie tried again. But no success.

"Well, what if your best isn't good enough?", Raph asked as he stood in front of Leo and gave him a push to the shoulder. "That's all I can do!", Leo replied as he pushed Raph back "I was under a lot of stress, that's why I have been so annoying lately! What's your excuse, Raph?" .  
>"Guys!", Donnie tried again. <em>Stay calm, Stay calm, nice calm thoughts,…<br>_"Don't fight, please…", Mikey begged. Then, he looked at Donnie: "Please, make them stop!"

When he looked at Mikey's face, Donnie couldn't hold it anymore. He pushed Leo and Raph to the ground with all the power he had: "SHUT UP!"  
>Everything was quiet. It even seemed like the entire city had listened to him.<br>"Let me sum up the current problems and why this is not working." Donnie said  
>"One: Raph can't control his temper and isn't even trying to do so! Two, Mikey can't stop goofing around and also isn't trying to! And three, Leo is too stubborn and to proud too admit that for one time, he can't fix it! And I…" Now Donnie looked at the ground.<p>

After a couple of seconds, he looked up again and looked his brothers in the eyes. He had a sad smile on his face. The fire that had burned so brightly behind his eyes just a couple of days ago had dissapeared. All that was left, was just some ash.  
>When he had composed himself, he continued: "And I can't do this anymore. Do whatever you want, but if you don't even want to try to work with me, then there's nothing I can to do to help you guys. I give up!"<br>And Donnie ran out of the dojo.

Mikey looked at his oldest brothers. Then, he glared at Leo: "You… you… You ruined everything! First this team, then our mission and now… You also ruined our last chances of becoming a team again! Don never gives up! On anything! Not even on April! You better find a way to make it up to him."  
>"And what if I don't want to?", Leo stood in front of Mikey so he could look down on him.<br>Mikey hesitated. Then, he looked Leo in the eyes: "Then you won't be my brother anymore!"  
>After that, he ran out of the lair to search for Donnie leaving an startled Leo and Raph behind.<br>"I really messed up, didn't I?", Leo asked. Raph walked over to him: "Yes. Yes, you did…"  
>Then, he also ran after Mikey to search for his purple brother.<p>

Leo let himself fall on the ground: "How am I ever going to fix this?"

**Author's note: I have to admit… I was looking forward to writing this chapter since the moment I came up with the idea of the story! :D It will still continue for a bit.  
>Thanks for all of the people who are reading my stories! :D It means a lot to me knowing so any people are interested in my ideas! But I'm still open to suggestions, about this story or another one you would like me to do. Also, I still need a story about Leo. So… feel free to send me a message in any possible way! :) <strong>


	10. Body

**A/N: A little cliffhanger and lot's of fluff ahead! ;) **

On a roof in New York

Mikey's POV

_I've been running over rooftops for about an hour now! Where is Donnie?!  
>If anything bad happens to him… I don't know what I'll do. I just couldn't live without him! Or Raph! Or Leo! <em>  
>I stopped running and looked around the city, at all the lights in the houses and the families that live there.<br>_Family… It's a precious thing to have… Too bad you only realize something's value when it's gone… _  
><em>Man, did I really tell Leo that he wouldn't be my brother anymore? That's so not me! I'm supposed to be the 'fun-guy'. The goofball… Why didn't Donnie see I was only trying to help HIM out?<br>The only reason I'm goofing around is to make others happy or to lighten the situation!  
>He should know that… right?<br>_I started running again, but slower this time. I was completely lost in thought. Then, I saw someone standing on the roof in front of me. When I looked closer, I saw it was Donnie. I smiled and ran faster.

I jumped, but missed the edge by an inch.  
>I didn't even yell.<br>I just tried to grab the edge. When this worked out, I sighed.  
>Suddenly, I hear Donnie pulling his bo out (believe, after fifteen years of living together, you know that sound!).<br>I gulped. If he thought I was an enemy…

_Oh boy, this won't end well!_

Donnie's POV

_I can't believe I really just did that… I completely lost it… Would this be what Raph feels most of the time? Then I understand why he's so angry.  
>Oh man… I didn't mean those things! Okay, maybe I did at the moment… But I didn't mean to say it out loud!<br>Why did Splinter make me leader? I can't take this pressure! Now I get why Leo can be so grumpy and bossy.  
>The only one who's still being his usual self is Mikey… And I yelled at him like that… Man, I really messed this up! <em>

Suddenly, I heard a sound. I jumped up and took my bo out as I turned around…  
>I didn't see anything, but I was sure I had heard something. So I walked closer to the edge, my bo in my hand. Just in case I was about to be attacked.<p>

I was stunned to see my little brother dangling there. "Mikey?!", I yelled "What are you doing?!"  
>Mikey looked up and grinned: "Not much, just hanging around" I sighed. <em>Typical, in a situation like this making jokes… <em>  
>"Grab on", I said as I offered him my hand. He took it gratefully and together, we managed to pull him on to the roof.<p>

While I was still catching my breath, Mikey stood up and walked over to where I was standing. Once I had regained my breath, he pulled me in a hug.  
>"No need to thank me, Mikey", I said "We're brothers. We save each other from an almost death. Nothing unusual"<br>When he didn't respond, I hugged him back. Then, he spoke up: "Don't leave us, bro. We need you! You're part of our family! We need you to keep us together!"

I sighed: "No, you don't. The only reason why you need me is to fix the stuff you guys broke"  
>Mikey pulled back: "That's not true! We need Leo so that we don't do too much crazy stuff and so we don't die in battle! We need Raph to protect us, most of the time from ourselves, and so he can defend us in battle when necessary! You guys need me to not get depressed and too serious in battle! But we need you to keep us together and functioning! A body is nothing without a brain!"<p>

I smiled at this point. _This is so cute! _

Then, Mikey continued: "You should know what happens when you take the brain out of the body! It stops working! The heart stops beating, the muscles stop working,… The mind doesn't function anymore… Without the brain, the body is nothing but an empty package."  
>Now, I finally noticed his references to us as a team.<br>I sighed again: "And what if the mind doesn't want the brain around? What if the mind thinks he can control the body by himself?"

"Too bad for him", a voice from behind me said. When I turned around, I saw Raph grinning: "The mind will just have to cope with that! Because the muscle and the heart would die without the brain!" He put his arm over my shoulder.  
><em>That coming from Raph… wow, I think that was a compliment.. wel, sort of… <em>

"Thanks guys", I said with a smile "and sorry about earlier. I just lost my self-control there. I wasn't even thinking. What kind of a brain is that?!"  
>"Mine!", Mikey said as he hugged me and Raph at the same time. Both of us started laughing and hugged Mikey back.<p>

"We should get back home", Raph said "Leo will probably be worrying about where we are"  
>"Yeah right…", I answered.<br>But Raph looked me in the eyes: "He's sorry to, Don. He really is. Just… work it out between the two of you"

I believed him and nodded. And then, the three of us went home.  
>But nothing could have prepared us for the sight of the lair when we arrived…<p>

**Author's note: Hi! :D I hope you still like this story!  
>I'm still looking for an idea for a story about Leo. Any ideas? You're more than welcome to send them to me in a PM! :)<br>Keep reading and reviewing! :D It means a lot that all of you still like what I do and put up with my sometimes extremely late updates! :) So thanks! **


	11. Notes

And then, the three of us went home.  
>But nothing could have prepared us for the sight of the lair when we arrived…<p>

Nobody's POV

The usual messy lair was completely cleaned.  
>Everything was in it proper place, the floor was wiped and cleaned,…<br>Even the pillows on the couch had been washed!  
>"Wow…", Donnie said "I never thought the day would come that this place would be clean!"<br>"Same here", Raph replied "And what's that smell?"  
>I know that smell!", Mikey said full on enthusiasm "PANCAKES!" And Mikey ran to the kitchen, followed by Raph and Donnie.<p>

When they arrived there, they saw a huge pile of pancakes on the table with three plates next to them. On every plate was a note in either purple, red or orange.  
>Mikey was the first to walk over to his plate.<br>He picked up his note and read out loud: "Dear Mikey, I'm sorry that I haven't always been there for you. I'm sorry that I haven't always been the big brother I should have been. Never change anything about you. We all love you, just the way you are! :) Love, Leo"  
>"Aww!", Mikey said "That's so sweet!"<br>"There's something on the backside", Raph noticed.  
>Mikey turned it around and laughed: "I know you're the best cook, but I gave it a try… Hopefully, you like it ;)"<p>

Now all three off the brothers started laughing. Then Raph walked over to his plate and picked up his note: "Dear Raph, we fight a lot more than we should. But every time, we're able to fix it. I hope now, it will be like that to… I'm sorry I acted like a kid. Don't you dare to change, Raph! Ever! ;) Love, Leo"  
>When Raph finished reading, he smiled and put the note down: "I won't, Leo. I won't…"<p>

Finally, it was Don's turn. But there was only one sentence on his note: "You know where to find me…" Don turned the note around, but there was nothing on it except for that single sentence.  
>"You guys wait here. I'll be right back", Don said. Then, he walked over to his lab.<br>Raph and Mikey nodded and waited until Donnhie had entered.  
>Then, they ran as fast as they could to the door to listen what Leo was going to say.<p>

Once Donnie had entered, he stopped walking and looked around with his mouth open.  
>Everything was cleaned: from his equipment to his desk. Not a piece of paper was lingering on the floor.<br>"How is this possible?", Donnie wondered "What happened?"  
>"Me, Donnie", Leo answered. He had been sitting on Don's chair waiting for his brothers to come home. Now, he stood up and walked up to Donnie.<p>

"No note for me"?", Donnie asked.  
>Leo smiled and shook his head: "No. I need to talk to you in person… Look, I just wanted to apologize. I haven't been a good leader lately. Nor a good brother. Nor a good friend… The only thing I've been doing properly was acting like a little kid, too stubborn to admit his mistakes. And I'm so sorry about that… I am aware that it's way more than I could ask from you, but… Could you at least consider to forgive me?"<br>During his entire speech, Leo had been looking at the ground. Now, he looked up to Donnie. The fear for Don's reaction was visible on his face.

Donnie's eyes were shining with unshed tears, but there was a smile on his face.  
>He put his hand on Leo's shoulder and squeezed it a little: "Of course! That's what family is for… And I'm sorry to for my little explosion earlier. And for running of like that. So, we're good?"<p>

But instead of a response, he got a huge hug from his oldest brother.  
>"I'll take that as a yes", Donnie said with a smile. Then he finally hugged back.<p>

"Aww!", Mikey said as he walked into the lab "CUTE!"  
>Leo and Don let go of each other and each looked another way.<br>Raph saw this and chuckled: "Don't you try to act all tough, we heard everything that you guys said!"  
>Leo started blushing, but Donnie smiled: "For once, I'm happy you guys don't always listen to what I say"<p>

Suddenly, Mikey ran up to Leo and tackled him to the ground. The next moment, Leo was barely choking in Mikey's hug. Raph laughed and joined in. A moment later, Donnie joined the group hug to.  
>"Leo?", Mikey asked. "Yeah?", Leo asked. "Don't you dare to change either!", Mikey replied with a huge smile.<br>Leo grinned: "I won't Mike. Promise!"

A couple of minutes later, Don stood up and pulled the others on their feet. Leo's ankle wasn't that swollen anymore, but still a little sensitive.  
>Donnie noticed this: "Have you been doing all of this work while you were having a sprained ankle?"<br>Leo looked at the ground: "…Maybe…"  
>Donnie sighed: "What do I have to do to make you listen to me?"<br>Leo was ready to defend himself, but then he felt his brother's thin arms around his shoulders: "You're the best"

Leo was startled, but hugged back. Then, Donnie pulled back: "But if you ever dare to do that again…"  
>"I won't!", Leo interrupted him "I swear!" Don smiled: "Good!"<p>

"Let's get to the living room", Mikey said "Didn't we still have a mission or something like that?"  
>"Indeed, Mikey", Donnie answered "We have to be a team by tomorrow afternoon. And even though the fights are solved, we still have got some work to do…"<p>

**Author's note: Hi! :D Update in the weekend, as promised! :) I know: loads of fluff, lots of Don and Leo and barely Mikey or Raph. But still… It was a fun thing to write! :D We're getting to the end of this, so you already know what I'm going to say next:  
>Suggestions are welcome! :D <strong>


	12. Test

Once they had arrived in the living room, Mikey and Raph sat down on the couch. Donnie stood in front of the couch and Leo sat down on the floor.

"Now", Donnie started "Let's see the remaining problems. I think the fight between Mikey and Leo is solved?"  
>In response, Mikey nodded and smiled happily. When Leo noticed this, he smiled as well.<br>"Ok then", he continued "Second: The little argument between Raph and Leo is settled as well… for now"  
>Raph and Leo looked at each other and grinned. They both knew this little moment of peace wouldn't last long. But it didn't mind. For now, everything was alright.<br>"And I think that the small discussion between Leo and me is fixed as well", Donnie asked.  
>Leo smiled and nodded.<p>

"So I guess there's only one more fight to work out… Me and Mikey versus Raph and Leo"  
>Mikey and Raph looked at each other. Leo looked up just in time to see Mikey look away.<br>"Mikey?", Leo asked "What's been bothering you?"  
>"Nothing important…", Mikey said "Nothing to worry about"<br>"Come on, Mike. Be honest with them. You may speak in name of both of us. Because we've been feeling the same for quite a long time now"

Now Leo stood up and faced Mikey properly: "Mikey? What's he talking about?"  
>Mikey took a deep breath and then said what he always had wanted to say: "When you guys fight, I'm scared. Donnie's to, but he stays calm so he can comfort me. But I know he thinks the same. If I see you two fight, I always think it will go too far. And it will only stop when it's too late… And then… Everything will fall apart… And I… I just can't let that happen. I would do anything to stop that from happening. Anything."<p>

Leo and Raph looked at their younger brothers.  
>Raph was the first to speak up again: "Wow, I didn't know how that made you feel Mikey… If I had known… if WE had known that, we would have thought twice about all of our fights."<br>"Is that true, Donnie?", Leo asked. Donnie hesitated, but nodded: "There's no point in denying it. Yes, it's true. And it has been like that for as long as I can remember…"

Suddenly, Leo walked over and crouched in front of Mikey: "I'm sorry about all of our fights. I can't promise you it won't happen again, because it will. But what I CAN promise you is that we'll try to fight less and think more about our actions. Or at least we'll try. Okay?"  
>Mikey nodded and hugged his oldest brother.<br>Donnie smiled and looked at Raph: "No hug for me, bro?"  
>Raph shook his head: "No way, dude! No more hugd from me today!"<br>But one look at Donnie's big brown puppy eyes made him give in: "Fine then"  
>He stood up and pulled his tallest brother into a firm hug.<br>_He never could resist that look_, Donnie thought as he enjoyed the warm embrace of his slightly older brother.

When the hugs broke apart the guys just stood there for a moment.  
>Then , Mikey had a question: "Does this mean we're a team again?"<br>Raph sighed: "I don't know Mike. I really don't"  
>"That's something master Splinter has to decide", Leo added "But I at least feel a lot better than I have these past few weeks"<br>"Yeah", Mikey agreed "Same here. But how do we know if we're a team again? Donnie?"  
>"I don't know, Mikey.", Donnie admitted.<br>Raph gulped: "The brainiac doesn't know?! We're doomed!" Everybody started laughing, but then calmed down.

"I'm serious, guys", Donnie said "I haven't got the slightest idea as to how we can prove if we're a team again or not. It's not like there's some kind of test to check that."  
>"There is, Donatello", master Splinter said. He had walked into the room when the guys were hugging and nobody had noticed him.<p>

Now that he had said something, the four young turtles jumped up in surprise.  
>Mikey even jumped right into Leo's arms, who was standing next to him.<br>Raph had gotten into a fighting pose.  
>Both Leo and Donnie were just breathing heavily with a shocked look on their face.<br>This made their father start laughing.  
>"Seriously, Sensei?! You have to learn how to knock or something like that!", Raph practically yelled "Otherwise, we will get a heart attack one of these days!"<br>This made their father laugh even harder.

Leo put Mikey back down on his own two feet and then walked over to his master: "What kind of test, Sensei?"  
>"You'll see...", Splinter answered "Tomorrow, 2pm in the dojo. Don't be late!"<br>After that, he just walked to his room leaving the brothers to themselves.  
>The guys looked at each other, knowing the test they would be facing tomorrow would either put Leo back in charge or leave Donnie in charge.<br>And no matter what the result would be, it would never go back to the way it had been before that week.

That evening, when everybody was back in there own room, they all had their own thoughts.

_Tomorrow will change everything_, Leo thought _We HAVE to pass that test! I HAVE to be the leader again!_

_I don't know if we will be able to convince Splinter that we're a team again, _Raph thought _but we have to try! __And if we don't... I don't know how much longer Donnie can take this pressure!_

_What if we don't pass the test?_, Mikey wondered _What will happen then? Donnie will stay in charge. But he doesn't like being leader... And Leo loves it... We'll fall apart!_

_I really want us to pass that test!_, Donnie thought _I've got tons of unfinished projects and I really don't know how I'm going to work on those, protect my family AND be the leader! I feel like I'm on the edge of a nervous breakdown! _

**Author's note: Hi! Sorry for a late update! I had a little writers block, but now I've gotten through it. :)  
>Thanks for everybody who's been supporting me! :D <strong>


	13. Thoughts about tests

The next day

1:30 pm

Leo was already in the dojo stretching and doing a warm up when Donnie walked in. He stood there watching his brother for a moment, then sighed. _He's even more stressed than I am!_, he thought. But because he didn't want Leo to worry, he put on a smile and walked up to him.  
>"Hey, bro", He said "How are you? I haven't seen you all day"<br>Leo faced Donnie: "I have been training and meditating, to prepare for this test. And where have you been?"  
>Don, a little shocked by this aggressive response, stepped a little backwards, but kept his cool: "I've been in my lab, checking the security system…"<br>Leo didn't even let him finish.  
>"So you rely on technology to protect our family?!", he practically yelled "I would prefer that you were around yourself and not just your systems"<br>Donnie frowned: "What's the difference? I made the system, so I know how it works"  
>"That's the point, Donnie", Leo replied "YOU made it! And we all know what happens with your inventions… Either they don't work properly or they almost kill us or even the entire humanity! So why should I trust you with our brothers if you can't even make a machine work?!"<p>

"Auch", Mikey said. He and Raph had been standing there since Donnie had walked in, but they had decided to keep some distance to give the others some privacy. But when Leo started yelling, they had paid attention.

Leo looked at his brothers in the doorway and then realized what he just had said.  
>He put his hands in front of his mouth and looked at Donnie: "Oh my… Don, I didn't mean any of that! It was just the stress talking… You have to believe me! Please…"<p>

Don's eyes were empty. There wasn't even anger or sadness. Nothing but complete darkness.  
>And that scared Leo much more than anything else could at that moment.<p>

Raph walked over to Donnie and put his hand on his shoulder: "You okay, bro? You don't look so good" But still no reaction.  
>Now, Mikey gave it a try: "Donnie! There's a fire in your lab!" But Don still didn't do anything at all.<br>"I've got one last idea", Raph said "Watch this: Hey, Don! April is here and she says she wants to hug you!" But even the thought of a hug from his crush couldn't cheer the genius up. "Wow, this is bad!", Mikey said  
>"Donnie?", Leo pleaded "Please. Say something. Yell at me, hit me, break my katanas if you want to… But do something!"<p>

Now, Donnie moved. In one swift movement, he pulled both of his arms back and lunged at Leo so he held him by the shoulders against the wall.  
>Leo closed his eyes, waiting for the impact. But it didn't come. When he opened his eyes, he saw Don still holding his arm up ready to hit him straight in the face. But something in his face had changed. In that split second he had moved, there had been rage.<br>But now, it had been replaced by something Leo couldn't identify.

Don let go of Leo and sunk to his knees facing the ground.  
>Raph and Mikey ran up to him and kneeled next to him. Leo also kneeled and tried to look Don in the eyes.<br>When this didn't work, he sighed: "Fine then. Ignore me. But I know you can hear me. And I want you to know how sorry I am for my behavior. Both now as these past few weeks. All of the stress hasn't been easy on me and I've been acting like a little kid. I also know that you've been going through exactly the same these past few days and that it's no excuse to act like such a moron. But know that we need you, Don! Without you, we wouldn't even have survived that first day we went up to the surface! And you have saved us countless times after that! None of us could have done that. Except for you..."

Now Donnie did look up: "…really?..."  
>"Really, bro!", Raph answered as he put his arm around Don's shoulders "You have been, are and always will be a brilliant inventor and we can't survive a day without you!"<br>Now Donnie even smiled a little bit.  
>Mikey saw this and grabbed Donnie by his arm: "And you're also the only one who lets me hang around whenever I'm bored, even when you're busy! And who cares if sometimes, your inventions explode? How dull life would be without a weekly life-threatening situation!"<br>Now Donnie even chuckled.  
>Leo sighed and took a deep breath: "I know I'm going to regret saying this, but… whatever the result of the test may be… I want you to stay leader. You did a lot better than I ever did!"<br>Donnie looked straight at Leo now: "Thanks, man. That means a lot to me coming from you…"  
>Suddenly, Mikey threw his arms both over Don's and Leo's shoulders. Raph saw this and mirrored the action.<br>Soon, they all were involved in a sort of group-hug.

When they broke apart again, Donnie spoke up: "So how do we know if we passed the test or not?"  
>"I will tell you, Donatello", Splinter's voice came said from behind them.<p>

**Author's note: Hi! Sorry, late again. :( Little writers block… Fixed again! :)  
>I hope you liked it! :D Also, for those who haven't seen it yet in my summary…<br>I have reached the 5.000 views! Thank you so much! :D A big hug to all of you! **


	14. Test results

When they broke apart again, Donnie spoke up: "So how do we know if we passed the test or not?"  
>"I will tell you, Donatello", Splinter's voice came said from behind them.<p>

The young turtles jumped to their feet and turned around to see their father standing in the doorway with a smile on his face.  
>"Seriously?!", Raph yelled "You really want to startle us to death, don't you!"<br>Splinter chuckled, but then walked up to his sons.  
>"I heard what has been said in here the past few minutes", he said while looking at Leo "And I only have go one thing to say about that…"<p>

"I know, Sensei", Leo interrupted him "I have acted like a moron. I've been nothing but a little kid that refused to admit he was wrong. And I'm sorry. But we fixed all of our little fights. Thanks to Donnie here". He put his arm over Donnie's shoulder, who started to blush slightly. "It was nothing, really", Donnie murmured.  
>"Quite the contrary, Donatello", Splinter said "You were able to fix the problems that have been going on for years now. Neither one of you has ever been able to do that. Until I made you do it. So you could have been just as good a leader as Leonardo."<br>"He would have done a lot better than me, sensei", Leo added "I just know so"  
>Now Donnie's face had turned completely red.<p>

Raph and Mikey smiled in the background, wondering what the results of this little conversation may be.

"So… what will the test be?", Donnie asked. "You already did it", their father said "I wanted to see what would happen if you all were stressed and then put together in one room. And I have to admit, I had never expected this result."  
>"So what did you expect to happen?", Raph asked "That me and Leo would start fighting, Mikey would cry and Donnie would have a nervous breakdown?"<br>"Maybe a little", Splinter admitted "But you proved me wrong. You have proved to me that you are able to function as a team again, helping each other through difficult times and sticking together no matter what happens. I am proud of you, my sons"  
>All four turtles looked at each other and smiled, proud of their achievement.<br>Mikey put his hand on Raph's shoulder: "So, what does this mean? Who's gonna be our leader? Leo or Donnie?"

Splinter grinned: "You have achieved your goal within the time I gave you. So, technically Leonardo is the leader again. But…" "But what?", Raph asked.  
>"But", Splinter continued "I will leave the choice to the four of you. After all, it's your life. You may choose for yourself. Just know that this choice will be permanent"<br>After this, he walked out of the dojo.  
><em>And now I hope they will make the right decision<em>, he thought as he walked to his room.

"So…", Leo said as he stood in front of his brothers "Now what? He said we can choose, so… what do you guys want? I already said that I want Donnie to stay in charge"  
>Donnie stood next to Leo: "It's really up to the two of you. Raph and Mikey, the future of this team depends on you guys"<p>

Raph took a deep breath: "Leo, we both know that we will fight the entire time if you're our leader again. And we won't have a moment of peace and we will probably scare Mikey and Donnie most of the time"  
>Mikey nodded: "True. And Leo will get stressed again and he will make mistakes and situations like this will happen again. And Donnie will have to get angry again and…"<br>"We get it", Donnie interrupted "But that's still no complete answer. My idea is that we write the name of whoever we want as our leader on a piece of paper and make it an anonymous vote. Deal?"

Everybody nodded. Donnie went to find some pieces of paper and some pens from his lab and handed them to his brothers.  
>When everybody had put the name in a box, Donnie started counting.<br>"The result all of us expected…", Donnie said "And the winner, and leader for the rest of our lives is…"

**Author's note: I know, both short AND cliffhanger. Please forgive me? :)  
>One more chapter coming up! As you know, I'm always open to suggestions! Send me a PM if you have an idea about either TMNT, Sherlock or even something else if you want to! :D <strong> 


	15. A team again

"The result all of us expected…", Donnie said "And the winner, and leader for the rest of our lives is…"  
>Everybody in the room held their breath. Especially Leonardo.<br>Donnie looked at his brothers and smiled to himself.  
><em>I lost<em>, Leo thought _And now Don is just enjoying the moment…_  
>"Leonardo!", Donnie yelled.<p>

Leo just stood there with his mouth open. Donnie smiled and gave Leo a hug.  
>Mikey joined him on the other side while Raph grinned and patted Leo's shoulder.<br>Finally, Leo was able to speak again: "But… you said… and you did… How?"  
>The three younger brothers laughed, which only made Leo more irritated.<p>

"Bro, you're the best leader ever!", Mikey said "We don't care if you mess up! It's normal to make mistakes. I mean, look at me! I turned making mistakes into an art!"  
>Leo laughed after this.<br>"Dude", Raph continued "We will fight and argue. And we will have our problems. But there will never be a day that you will give up on us! And we trust you. Not that we don't trust Donnie! It's just… different. And sure, it was nice to have someone else on top for a while… But I missed having you leading us"  
>"What was that last bit, Raph?", Lea asked with a smirk on his face "I didn't hear you" "You heard me perfectly!", Raph replied as he gave his older brother a playful hit on his arm.<p>

"Aren't you mad, Don?", Leo asked. Donnie shook his head: "No way! It was fun for a while, sure. But way too much stress for me! And I can't combine leading with my inventing anyway! At this rate, I'll find that anti-mutagen in 235,7 years! And before you ask: yes, I calculated that!"  
>Now all of them were laughing.<br>When they got their breath back, Leo stood in front of the others: "I won't make it a long speech, promise! I just want to say that I'm honored and that I will do my very best to be the best leader I can be!"

Mikey applauded: "And now… pizza time!" Raph sighed: "It's always pizza time with you!" Mikey nodded: "Duh! It's like the best thing in the world… Well, aside from you guys of course!"  
>Don looked at his younger brother: "I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted… But I'll take it as a compliment"<br>"Who's in for a movie night?", Leo asked. Everybody agreed. Mikey and Raph went to order some pizza's while Leo and Donnie prepared the living room.

Leo looked at his brother and sighed: "Donnie? Can I ask you something?"  
>Donnie turned around so he could face Leo: "Sure. What's up?"<br>"Have you ever felt like you let somebody down? That you didn't do all you could to help or save them?"  
>Donnie sighed: "Yes, I did. Timothy… But why do you ask?"<br>Leo sat down: "When Mikey said it's okay for me to make mistakes… Maybe you guys think so, but I don't. Every mistake I make can lead to the destruction of our team! And more importantly, our family. And when I do make a mistake, I feel so guilty about it that I'm all grumpy for a couple of days."  
>"Remember when you and Mikey were captured and we had to get you out?", Donnie asked as he sat down next to Leo. Leo nodded and Don continued: "When I heard you were in trouble, I felt so bad about it. Even though I knew deep down that there was nothing I could have done to prevent it… So I know how you feel. And I promise that I'll never say you're overreacting when you freak out about our health"<br>Leo smiled: "Thanks, Don. For everything"  
>Don winked: "No problem"<p>

At that moment, the sound of Raph and Mikey laughing sounded.  
>"And there goes our quietness…", Leo sighed. Donnie chuckled and stood up: "Hey guys! Join us! We found a great movie and we made a comfortable arrangement."<br>"Sounds good to me!", Mikey said as he jumped over the couch while holding two pizza boxes. Raph first put the boxes down on the floor and then sat down himself next to Mikey.  
>Leo and Don sat themselves down on the floor.<p>

During the movie, everybody had snuggled together.  
>By the time master Splinter woke up the next morning to wake the boys for training, he found them sleeping in the living room.<br>Leo was still sitting with his back against the couch and his legs stretched out in front of him. Mikey was holding Leo's left arm in his sleep, his head was on Leo's shoulder.  
>Raph was laying against Mikey, but with his arm stretched out over Leo so he slightly touched Don's arm. Donnie was sleeping with his head on Leo's right shoulder and with his left arm over Leo's plastron.<p>

Splinter smiled and sighed. _My sons_, he thought _Never mind the training. They already got the best training: how to become a team again… _

Silently, he walked back to his room to meditate.

Leo was the first one to wake up. When he noticed how all of his brothers were sleeping around him, he smiled. "Thanks, Donnie. For fixing my mistakes… once again"  
>Right before Leo went back to sleep, he thought he saw Donnie smile. It disappeared quickly. But Leo didn't doubt that his brother had heard him.<br>"It's nice to be a team again", Leo sighed.

**Author's note: And that's the end of Team Fight! :D Sorry the last chapter took so long. I wasn't sure about how to do this. But now, it's here! :)  
>Thank you SO much to everybody who has been supporting me and helping me out with your ideas! :D<br>As you know, suggestions for a new story about either TMNT or Sherlock are always welcome! Just send me a PM with your idea, and maybe I'll use your idea :)  
>But because I'm not the kind of person to take something that doesn't belong to me, I'll put your name in the summary so other readers know the idea on it's own belonged to you!<br>Keep reading! :D  
>Love, Sweetheart91597 x <strong>


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